Ectoplasm And A Baby's Dreams
by DaniellePhantom
Summary: Danny is still public ghost enemy #1 Danielle lives with his family and is 3 years old she sometimes helps him fight easy ghosts and their parents fon't know the secret. What happens when Nocturne returns?
1. Preface

It was two weeks ago now. Danny was still public ghost enemy number one but people didn't look at him with as much disgust now. Two weeks ago his mom had shot him down in ghost form not realizing he was her son. He had been bleeding when he hit the ground (no one noticed that the blood was a mix of ectoplasm and human blood) and Danielle had flown over to him, worried and looked at the wound in his side, then looked up at Maddie Fenton and said, "Why you do it?" Danny was snapped out of his reverie by a scream and flew like heck towards it, hoping he got there fast enough. When he finally turned the corner He saw Nocturne looming over the street below with his back turned to him. Danny yelled "HEY, NOCTURNE! It's a good thing you're the ghost of sleep because you're about to be unconscious!" and mentally scolded himself for saying such a lame quip, but at what happened next, Danny could only stand (err float) still and gaze in horror.

Nocturne slowly turned around and Danny could see that his arms cradled Danielle, who was unconscious. With a cold smile Nocturne simply said,

"Quiet, the baby's sleeping." By this time a crowd had followed Danny around the corner and was now boo-ing the ghost kid they thought had been terrorizing the town,(ironic, no?) but Danny didn't notice. Nocturne was smirking like he had a trick planned, but Danny didn't notice. There were some ghost-hunters behind him getting ready to take aim, but Danny didn't notice. All he could see waas his precious little sister, unconscious in the arms of a ghost with a vendetta. He flew forward, ready to rip Nocturne to shreds and grab his little sister, but nocturne did have a trick planned and as soon as Danny came into range Nocturne grabbed him and he to was asleep held by the malevolent specter. It was then that Nocturne turned to the crowd.


	2. time freeze

It was eerily silent for a moment that seemed to last an eternity. Like the world was pausing to take a breath before the insanity started, like the calm before the storm, Sam thought as her amethyst eyes filled with tears of shock, which she quickly blinked away while mentally scolding herself for thinking in clichés. The reality hit her then, Danny had gone down in two seconds, The rest of them didn't stand much of a chance now. Then Nocturne turned and spoke to the dumbstruck crowd that had been shocked into silence and stillness at how easily the ghost boy had gone down.

"Ah dreams are so amasing aren't they? They can be anything, anything at all. But the dreams of the young halfas are quite the sweetest I've ever found. I can't help but wish to harvest such dreams. They are not greedy dreams of material wants and popularity," several heads such as Paulina's, Star's, Dash's, and Those of the rest of the A-list hung in shame at that part, "Or spiteful dreams of another's downfall," okay, ouch, all the ghost hunters hung their heads in shame at that remark that stung a little, because they couldn't help but feel that Nocturne was talking about them after all how many times had they dreamed of the ghost kids demise and he hadn't even once dreamed of theirs? "Or jealous dreams of having what through luck all that others have and have struggled to get." Vlad Masters looked away sheepishly still a little to arrogant to hang his head in shame after all Jack Fenton was the only one who actually wanted him as a friend and he'd tried to kill him, and maybe, just maybe Maddie really was happier with Jack than she would have been with him, not that he'd admit any of this out loud. Tucker also hung his head, after all, hadn't he been jealous of Danny's powers? Danny hadn't struggled to get those, but he struggled to do the right thing with them he was a hero, in the short time Tucker had had ghost powers he had just goofed off, he hadn't helped anyone. "Yes, these are simply amazing dreams but I am not_ so _greedy. I can share. Perhaps you all would enjoy the dreams of the _children_ who risk their lives daily to keep you safe despite the fact that several of you still shoot at them whenever you see them," wince that stung a little, and why had they never noticed, before just how young the ghost kids were? They had even called them ghost _kids_, how had they not realized that they were just kids? It was then that everyone in the crowd realized Nocturne was about to use his powers on them, but by the time they realized this, it was too late and he already had.


	3. dreamscare

Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom or The Broken Hearts Parade by Good Charlotte

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Jack Fenton hung his head in shame when the ghost pointed out that the Ghost kids' dreams were not spiteful at all. That wasn't the only reason why he hung his head in shame though, oh no, He hung his head because he realized how much the ghost kids reminded him of two of his kids, Danny and Dani. The way Dani never wanted to be to far away Danny and Inviso-Belle (that's what their calling Dani since they still haven't bothered to learn real names) would never fly to far from Inviso-Bill, and they way both pairs acted almost as if the other was the only true family they had. Not that Danny and Dani rejected the rest of their family they just weren't anywhere near as close with the rest of them even Jazz, and it always seemed like she knew what was going on with them when Jack and Maddie didn't. And one big thing, just two weeks ago, not long after they had adopted Dani, that would always stick in his memory…

_Begin Flashback_

"_Come on Nail 'im Maddie" Jack had shouted as his wife attempted to shoot down the ghost kid. BLAM! One shot hit him in the side and he had crashed down to Earth, clutching his injured ribs. Just as Maddie was about to shoot again, the ghost baby had flown over to inspect her brother's injury, evidently unaware of the danger she was putting herself in, like a real toddler might be. Then the tiny ghost girl had turned to Maddie, her ectoplasm-green eyes filled with tears waiting to be shed, and said "Why you do it?" of course, she wanted to know why her brother had been hurt. Just then The ghost kid seemed to come out of his daze._

"_No! Danielle it's not safe!" And with that the ghost kid had Grabbed his little sister in his arms, turned so he was between her and the Fenton Bazooka wielding ghost hunter, and then they had both vanished._

_Jack would never forget that or the terrified, confused, wounded look in his daughter's eyes when they had gotten home. According to Danny, Danielle had accidentally seen part of that on the news and hadn't realized it was a ghost, and it had taken Danny half an hour to get her calmed down enough to explain things to her. Then Danny had asked his parents to step into the kitchen for a moment to talk, Jazz was holding Danielle. It was when they were out of earshot, that meek, non-confrontational, young Daniel Fenton proceeded to chew his parents out._

"_How could you do that?! The ghost kid wasn't hurting anybody and you blasted Him! On top of that there was a ghost nearby who actually was causing trouble, and you still shot the ghost kid instead of the ghost who was dangling a human kid by the ankle?! And just to top it all off, You chose the one ghost who looks human enough to seem human to a child your daughter's age!? Maybe before you go and do something stupid you should think long and hard about it and not do anything you wouldn't want your newly adopted baby girl to SEE!" and with that Danny had left to comfort Dani. He had always seemed irresponsible before but when it came to the care of his little sister, he was responsible, protective, and whatever else she needed him to be. When she woke up in the mornings Danny cooked her breakfast(to avoid ghostly food poisoning from Maddie ecto coated food), when she got a boo-boo Danny kissed it and made it better, and when she woke up in the middle of the night and was scared that there was a ghost under her bed it was not Maddie or Jack but Danny she called to make it go away, and when she had a nightmare, she walked into Danny's room and asked if she could sleep with him, not Jack and Maddie. Danny was probably raising Danielle more than either of them. And Jazz was helping to raise her more than either of them too. After that Jack and Maddie hadn't quite stopped hunting the ghost kid, but they just couldn't seem to bring themselves to fire at him anymore, at least not as quickly, and he usually got away before that. Even the shoot first ask questions never red huntress hadn't been as quick to fire after seeing the tiny ghost girl in tears over her brother's wound._

_End Flashback_

That day would haunt Jack Fenton, no pun intended, for a while not even fudge could have made that moment happy. Jack was pulled out of his reverie when he realized the ghost that had just captured Inviso-Bill was reaching towards them. He realized this just a second too late to do anything and everyone in the crowd felt unconsciousness come over them.

Everyone in the crowd felt the odd sensation of freefalling as they "came to" (they're actually slipping into the dream realm I just couldn't come up with a better word). As they opened their eyes they saw two things 1) The crowd included the whole town and 2) they were still now and they were in a dark place with lit moving scenes around them. Nocturne was standing right in front of them When he was sure he had the entire crowd's attention he said

"Yes the realm of dreams is quite amazing isn't it? And we have the most wonderful dreams in the universe to play with here. Let's see the baby's dreams first shall we?"

Then Nocturne moved his hand over to one of the illuminated scenes and it grew until it engulfed the whole crowd. The stunned residents of Amity Parks looked around to find themselves in a place that looked just like Amity Parks. They were standing in a little playground in a park just a few blocks away from Casper high.

Inviso-Belle was playing there with some human children and a couple of ghost children too! They were singing the nonsense song(lyrics at the end of the chapter), and running around, and pretty much just acting like little kids. Inviso-Bill and Sam Manson were sitting on a park bench watching the children play and smiling. Sam looked at Inviso-Bill and said "Your little sister is sooo cute, absolutely adorable! Just completely perfect! Don't tell anyone I said that though, I don't want people to think I'm going all girly."

"How exactly does Inviso-Belle know you well enough to dream about you?" Sam's mom screeched at her poor unappreciated daughter.

"Her name is Dani Phantom!" shouted Sam, who had zero tolerance for her mom's prejudices today. "and just so we're all clear here, the kid you've been calling Inviso-Bill is actually Danny Phantom! So quit calling them those stupid derogatory names that you people made up based on stereo types. They bust their butts protecting you people and you don't even bother to learn their names. Yu just use the first insulting, derogatory, slur that comes to mind. Well guess what? THAT HURTS! It hurts them a lot." Sam realized in a moment that she had said a little too much and it was obvious that she knew them. Then Tucker decided to speak up and come to her aid.

"Yeah, you people should be ashamed of yourselves. I have personally SEEN both Danny AND Danielle jump in front of ecto-blasts that were about to hit innocent bystanders! And little Danielle is just a baby, A BABY YOU HEAR!!" Tucker then used his PDA And showed videos of that exact scenario. Some people in the crowd glared a little at the red huntress when one video clip showed Dani, young as she was, jumping in front of an ecto-blast that was about to hit the red huntress in the back and then have to roll out of the way and turn intangible and invisible in order to escape when the red huntress turned around and saw the ghost lying behind her and proceeded to fire an ecto-ray. The red huntress appalled by her own behavior stammered, "B-but I didn't, didn't _know_."

"People. please pay attention. The next dream is an especially excellent one. This dream is a memory," said Nocturne. Sam's parents stifled their arguments, not wanting to upset the ghost who held them captive, especially since all the ghost hunter's weapons had, unsurprisingly, vanished when the ghost had taken them here. Tucker's parents decided not to speak to their son about getting involved with a ghost, just yet, for the same reason.

The scene was Sam Manson's dark, gothic-styled room(her parents gasped), Sam Manson was sitting on a black armchair, reading a gothic-looking book.

There was a tap on the window. Sam put down the book, walked over to the window, pulled aside the thick black curtains and opened the window(whose glass panes were arranged into the shape of a spider). On the other side was Danny Phantom holding little Dani in his arms.

"Hey Sam can you baby-sit Dani for a few minutes? I have to go stop a ghost that's a little more dangerous than I want to let her help with before it hurts someone," Phantom said. Gosh, he sounded so human it was a little harder too hate him for being a ghost. This didn't make sense, ghosts were supposed to be malevolent. They shouldn't be able to show emotions such as concern for a younger sibling, much less for the humans who are out to get them!

"No problem Danny, we'll have lot's of fun. Isn't that right Dani?" The last part was cooed to the baby ghost girl in a baby-talk voice. Everyone looked at Sam a little shocked, who knew she was capable of something as cutesy as baby-talk?! Then it sunk in that she'd agreed to baby-sit the ghost girl, and her parents sent her a hard glare. Meanwhile the Sam in the dream sat down Indian style on the bed and sat Danielle down in front of her

"So Danielle what do you want to do?" Sam asked smiling warmly. This was seriously freaking some people out. Right then in the dream, you could hear the sound of Sam's mom picking the lock on her bedroom door in order to gain entrance without permission.

"Oh no! Dani, hide!" The dream Sam urgently whispered.

"Okey dokey," Dani said and turned invisible.

"Wow, she's good," Sam muttered under her breath as her evil mother burst into the room, unannounced and uninvited, carrying an armful of pink dresses.

"Oh Sammy-kins!" She shouted in her unpleasant screeching voice. Sam shuddered at being called that. "I've got some pretty pink dresses for you to try on!"

"I'm sorry mother, but no. I'm afraid I can't," said Sam trying very hard to hide her horror enough to be polite. Dream Sam's mother's face suddenly turned dark and angry.

"Fine!" she shouted viciously scaring her daughter who backed up a little and tensed as though anticipating an attack. "BUT YOU ARE NO DAUGHTER OF MINE!!!" Then she stormed out of the room and Sam relaxed a little.

The crowd glared at Sam's parents.

Then dream Sam turned back towards the bed where Dani became visible again.

"Some mom I've got huh" Sam said sadly and the tiniest bit ironically.

More hard glares were sent towards Sam's mother, who was getting a bit worried about how much this dream was going to show.

"lease she din't eber shoot ya," said Dani.

Le gasp! This was horrible! Was that why the ghost kids were ghosts at such a young age? They'd been killed by their mother? And on top of that, then the whole town was out to get them, poor kids. Several of the people of Amity Parks burst into tears.

"Umm, actually," Sam said hesitantly.

"Huh! No!" Danielle gasped.

"It was just a low voltage stun gun but it still hurts a lot to be hurt by someone you think you should be able to trust," said Sam glumly.

"yeah, I know," said Danielle, hugging Sam who in turn scooped her up into her arms. Danielle yawned and the dream faded as Sam rocked her to sleep.

Now there were some _**very **_hard glares being sent towards Sam's mom, who was getting concerned about how she was going to explain this. Everyone knew that she and her husband wanted their daughter to be a completely different person, rather than seeing and loving the daughter they had, but the town finding out about their "extreme parenting methods" as they put it was not something they had counted on. Then Nocturne cleared his throat to get the town's attention, and the town turned their fearful eyes to the ghost that still held them captive.

"Now, for a change of pace, let's take shift our focus to the ghost-boy," A new dream formed around them.

"This one is actually a nightmare, but even the ghost children's nightmare's are of a higher quality. This one is amusing because it' just a random conglomeration of images (mostly memories) with a song running through them, because his mind was to tired to come up with much that was coherent, and he'd just watched one of Tucker's slideshow-music videos."

"Hey!" Tucker said. Then the dream began moving. The crowd was nervous. Did they really want to see a ghost's nightmare? Especially one that was made up of memories, what if how he died was part of it?

_Oh oh oh, Oh oh oh, _

_Here we go-oh oh oh,_

_Oh oh oh, Oh oh oh, Oh oh oh_

Images of Danny phantom fighting different ghosts and getting injured doing so flashed in the dream.

_We got problems, we don't know how to solve 'em._

An image of Phantom patching himself up with a first aid kit played during this line. He was treating a shoulder wound and several scars of all different sizes could be seen on his torso, as well as a few minor ones on his arms that wouldn't be noticeable if not for the larger scars on his torso pointing out that he was damaged.

_Everywhere we go, we got some skeletons that follow._

An image of Phantom being chased by some sword-wielding skeletal ghosts played across the dream.

_We got baggage,_

_You know we're gonna drag it,_

_Everywhere we go, for every-one too see_

An image of Phantom being attacked in the ghost zone, by a lot of ghosts, and not being able to take it, and breaking down

_In the broken hearts parade,_

_And I'm putting my heart out on display_

Phantom lay on the ground, obviously badly hurt. His injured form was curled around his little sister to protect her. The crowd gasped. One thing they never thought they would see from phantom was weakness, but there he was, injured and weak, with tears glittering in his ectoplasm-green eyes.

_There's no masquerade,_

Phantom fighting more ghosts, then pinned down by a medieval looking one with an ax.

_Just a funeral march for love today._

Sam Manson kissing Dash Baxter. The crowd looked at Sam with odd expressions.

"A ghost cast an evil love-spell on Danny! I had to snap him out of it somehow!"

_The band strikes up and their playing our song._

Ember and her band. Why had no one noticed how ghostly they looked before?

_Dressed in black and we're singing along,_

Danny Phantom was flying along with Dani Phantom riding on his back. They were wearing headphones connected to an Ipod and seemed to be singing along to whatever song was playing.

_To the broken heart's parade,_

_And I never been better then I am today,_

Phantom climbing through a window that looked unsettlingly familiar to Jack and Maddie Fenton, and collapsing on the floor before pulling a first aid kit out from under the bed.

_Oh oh oh, Oh oh oh_

_You got a question, how do we get it started?_

Phantom in a battle stance, with another ghost in front of him, also in a battle stance, ready to attack

_I got an answer: let go of your heart and_

An Image of the Wisconsin Ghost Looming over a barely conscious Phantom and his trembling little sister. Until Phantom got up and delivered a powerful ghostly wail that sent the Wisconsin ghost sprawling. Then Phantom collapsed again

_Love it, live it, leave it, and give it to it_

A still image of Danny Phantom changing his shirt next to a mirror. The real Phantom had all the numerous battle scars but the reflection didn't and there were words printed across the bottom of the image that said "In my dreams, there are no scars" A few of the more sensitive member's of the town shed a tear or two at this.

_If you wanna start it, this is how we do it in the broken hearts parade_

_And I'm putting my heart out on display_

Phantom, crying

_There's no masquerade,_

_Just a funeral march for love today._

_The band strikes up and their playing our song._

_Dressed in black and we're singing along,_

_To the broken heart's parade,_

_And I never been better then I am today,_

In this scene, Phantom was hurt bad enough that he couldn't quite find the strength to bandage himself up. His little sister was doing it for him. He didn't even flinch as she set a broken rib. He was used to it. What must life must be like for these two that a toddler would have to know how to set a broken rib?

_I used to lie awake at night and_

_Wonder when she's coming home._

Dani Phantom was trying to sneak into an unsettlingly familiar nursery, but Danny Phantom was standing right there, arms crossed, foot tapping. A few giggles escaped at this one.

_It used to be so hard to wake up,_

_Every day._

Phantom groaned and lifted himself up off the floor of some strange cave in the ghost zone

_It's the broken hearts parade_

_And we're putting our hearts out on display_

Dani was crying into Danny's shoulder. Danny was trying to comfort her, but there were tears in his ectoplasm-green eyes to. Then town noticed the wound in his side and a good portion of them realized this had taken place just after Maddie Fenton had shot him down and he had escaped, wounded, with his sister. Some people gave a sad look in Maddie's direction. They couldn't quite be mad because they had thought he was a bad guy at the time as well, but no one would ever cheer a ghost hunter on for shooting down one of the ghost kids again.

_There's no masquerade,_

_Just a funeral march for love today._

_The band strikes up and their playing our song._

_Dressed in black and we're singing along,_

_To the broken heart's parade,_

_And I never been better then I am today,_

An image of phantom bandaged up

_March out to the sound_

Walker's goons marched forward in a large orderly group.

_The beating of a broken heart_

Phantom staring glumly out over the city with a melancholy expression.

_Stomp with the rhythm that pounds_

_To the beating of a broken heart_

During these last two lines and the ending bit of instrumental music a lot of images flashed very fast.

Danny Fenton in a white jumpsuit with black details that looked like a negative copy of Phantoms jumpsuit, walking into an inactive Fenton Ghost Portal, and leaning against the switch by mistake.

A scream rang out, loud enough to be heard out through the music.

Phantom shot out of the now active Fenton portal and collapsed on the floor of the lab. Two white rings appeared around his waist and traveled in opposite directions leaving Danny Fenton where a moment ago Phantom had lain.

Cloning equipment in a lab where the Wisconsin ghost floated. A door in a cloning pod opened and out Stepped Danielle Fenton who said "Goin' ghost," Then two white rings appeared at her waist and separated leaving Danielle Phantom behind.

Danny Fenton in some odd device in the Wisconsin ghost's lab trying to force him to turn into Phantom. A near perfect Copy of Phantom in a cloning pod across the room. The Wisconsin ghost Barking something at Danielle Phantom. Tears welled up in the tiny ghost's eyes, but she blinked them away and hit the release button on the device Fenton was in.

Both Phantoms side by side shooting ecto-blasts at the Wisconsin ghost. Danny Phantom using a ghostly wail on him. Then going down, exhausted, and changing back to Danny Fenton. Danielle charging an ecto blast but being unable to fire it for fear of melting. Tucker and Sam crashing through the wall and into the Wisconsin ghost in the Specter Speeder.

Danny Phantom injecting some of the failed ecto-dejecto into his melting younger sister. For a moment it seemed like it was too late and phantom completely broke down, then Dani reformed and was fine. And Danny cried tears of joy, before the two of them beat the you-know-what out of the Wisconsin ghost.

Then the dream ended,

and Maddie and Jack Fenton burst into tears. Jazz remained almost unaffected, merely biting her lip. Someone said "Why aren't you crying? All of that happened to your little brother and sister!"

Jazz responded by saying, simply "I already knew."

Everyone excluding Sam, Tucker, and Jazz Gasped.

**Oooh a cliff hanger want a faster chapter? Give me lots of reviews! **

**And now as promised the nonsense song lyrics**

**Ohhhhhhhh**

**one night one morning**

**when I was born**

**when the wistle went boom boom**

**you can buy a cake or bake a snake**

**with a multifryer and bloom**

**there's six and six eight/ate nine**

**there's exra on a vine**

**there's old black joe, an Es****kimo, in the good old summer time**

**a loop de loop and a noodle soup**

**just to give your socks a shine**

**I'm guilty fudge**

**I ate the judge**

**thank you for all the time**

**I cannot tell a lie**

**I ate the apple pie**

**it was in a tree, beneath the sea, above the clear blue sky**

**Ohhhhhhh**

**easter eggs all wash their legs**

**and children will have ducks**

**I'd rather buy a lemon pie**

**for fortyseven bucks**

**way down in barcelonia**

**they jump right to the phone-ia**

**right now they're full of balony-a**

**so suki blow your horn**

**toot toot**


	4. dreamscene

A/N : The updates may also be coming slow because I'm not getting many reviews and nobodies even given me any reviews on my other current fan fiction, kokoro! L that makes me want to cry like in the pics on my profile that represent the author when you don't review

Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom or Leave Out All The Rest by Lincoln Park

"Jazz, why?" asked Maddie Fenton. "Why would you just watch us shoot at your little brother and sister and not _say _anything? How could you just watch them get hurt like that and tell us nothing?" Maddie pulled herself up off the ground and grasped her daughters shoulders, being careful not to squeeze tight enough to hurt her, she never wanted to hurt one of her babies again.

"I, I, I was afraid," Jazz said a tear trickling down her face, "Afraid he'd be in more danger if I told you. Afraid you hated ghosts more than you loved your kids, I mean ghost hunting always came first and we always came second and even though Danny Phantom was doing everything he could to protect the town you still hunted him anyway, so I thought it was rational to believe that you just hated all ghosts regardless of circumstances. I wasn't thinking entirely clearly I was just scared." Jazz was crying by the time she finished.

"Oh honey I am so sorry," Maddie Fenton wept and hugged her daughter.

"I'm sorry to," said Jack Fenton "Jazz we never meant to make you feel like there was anything more important to us than you and your little brother and sister."

"You three are the most important things in our lives, never doubt that," Maddie Fenton said tearfully.

"We are so sorry," The tearful group hug continued for a few minutes. Almost everyone in the town was crying.

Then Jazz began to explain more things. How she had figured out that Danny was the ghost kid, how Skulker was hunting him because he was rare enough to be a valuable hunting trophy, how walker had decided to make his very existence against the rules, how there were other ghosts out to get him just because he was a halfa, and many who had a personal vendetta against him for stopping them from destroying the town.

Dash Baxter stood motionless, shell-shocked.

"Danny Fenton," he said, barely above a whisper, "I've been beating him up for years. He has those crazy ghost powers. He could have killed me in a second but he just stood there and took it. He stood there and let me hurt him over and over again." He was silent for a moment before speaking again. "I feel like a scumbag." The jock hung his head ashamedly.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

Mr. Lancer stood quietly, pondering the new information about Danny Fenton. Danny Fenton, one of _his _students. How had he not seen it? Danny Fenton had once been an excellent student, all As and Bs, but after the accident, his grades began slipping. He constantly showed up late to class was often favoring a side, or an arm, or a leg, using it carefully as though to prevent further injury to an already injured area, but being careful to hide it well. He would leave class with a bizarre expression on his face that, as time went by progressed from panic, to fear, to nervousness, to determinedness like he had a duty to serve and was going to fulfill it at all costs. He would come back to class much later, if at all, often favoring one side or limb, or sporting a red spot that hadn't been there before and was obviously going to be a bad bruise, or even with a large cut poorly concealed by make up. One of his students had been getting injured and he had ignored it. Regardless of this ghost business, he should have seen that something was wrong. He did see that something was wrong he just didn't want to admit it. He should have done something, said something, tried to help in some way. But he hadn't, he had even helped Danny get hurt more often by not punishing Dash when he had obviously beaten him up. Maybe because he subconsciously wanted a simple case of bullying to be all it was. Danny Fenton had once shown so much promise as a student but after the accident his grades began slipping. Mr. Lancer now knew that this was because he had been so busy trying to protect the town from ghosts and avoid being shot by the very people he was protecting that he didn't have time to do his home work, and this other life was pulling him out of class all the time. This was the reason why, why he always disappeared right before a ghost attack, why he was seldom able to turn in finished homework, why he always looked so tired, why he would sometimes glance around nervously like their was someone out to get him, why he had that strange tendency to tense momentarily when his mother or another competent ghost hunter walked into the room, why he seemed to be hurt all the time, why he always disappeared right before the ghost kid appeared, why he accepted detentions for tardies and skipping with such resignation as though there was nothing he could do about it, the reason he always acted so protective around his little sister as though he had to guard her every minute, why he had turned in that strange essay for the assignment to write an essay about your worst fears saying that he was afraid of himself and a person he could become if he didn't make the right choices, and perhaps the most disturbing of all why the ghosts were out to get him. It was assumed that the ghosts were trying to hit his ghost hunting parents where it hurt by going after their son instead of them. No one had ever suspected that the ghosts had a personal vendetta against Danny himself, a vendetta which was held against him because he spent his time protecting the people of Amity Parks even though it was obviously costing him big time.

Mr. Lancer thought back to the first day Danny had come to school after Danielle had been adopted. One day when he felt as though he'd done something right.

_Begin flashback_

_Mr. Lancer was preparing to start class that morning. Most of the class was already seated. Mr. Fenton was late, surprise surprise. Mr. Lancer heaved a small sigh getting ready to mark him tardy as soon as the bell rang, when something amazing happened. Daniel Fenton walked through the door before the bell rang, signifying the start of class. He walked up to Mr. lancer's desk at the front of the room._

"_Mr. Lancer, may I speak with you?" he had asked courteously. Mr. Lancer had agreed, glad that Daniel had finally come to class on time. It was then that Mr. Lancer noticed a tiny girl standing behind Daniel, clutching his jeans like a lifeline in her tiny fists. Her black hair was pulled back in a pony tail except for messy bangs in front, her baby blue eyes were wide in nervousness, and she was wearing red shorts and a blue hoody-sweat jacket, with a red knit cap._

"_Mr. Fenton who is-" Mr. Lancer was cut off mid sentence by Daniel's explanation._

"_This is my little sister, Danielle, my parents just adopted her. Mr. Lancer she was the youngest in a family that she just lost. She lost all of her brothers and her father in the worst possible way. It would seem that I bear some resemblance to her youngest brother, he was about my age and you see that the same coloring seems to run in both our families," It was true she looked like a true relative of his, "I seem to be the only one who can make her feel a little better so I was hoping she could come to school with me, she's not ready to be separated from me yet and you know how Mom and Dad's work can pull them away during the day. I don't want them to take her ghost hunting you have no idea how dangerous that is, and besides they can't look after a toddler while fighting ghosts. Can she please stay with me? She'll be quiet as long as nobody bothers her. I can just give her some crayons and paper and she'll just draw quietly. She won't bother anyone," Daniel was pleading with his eyes as he finished, he truly cared about this girl._

"_Mr. Fenton are you sure you can look after a child? If your homework is any indication you have trouble with responsibility." The girl clung little tighter to Daniels jeans, He bent down and picked her up."Mr. Lancer, please, she needs me. I'll be responsible I'll do whatever it takes to make sure she's safe and happy," Mr. Lancer could see the truth , the promise, the determination, in Daniel's eyes. In the Back of Mr. Lancers mind he got the feeling that Daniel was talking about something other than just bringing her to school with him. The tiny girl smiled at Daniel as he rocked her back and forth, gently._

"_Alright, we'll pull up an extra chair next to your desk and she can come to school with you," With that decision made they walked back into class._

"_Alright class, listen up. We have a new addition to the class. This is Daniel Fenton's younger sister. Due to emotional trauma she will not be separated from her big brother for some time. Until she is ready she will be coming to class with Daniel. She will not bother you and there is to be no picking on or attempting to scare her, or there will be serious consequences. __**Is that understood?!**__" The class gulped and nodded in unison. "There is also to be no picking on Daniel while she is in his care, is that understood as well?" The class nodded again, "her name is Danielle-" Mr. Lancer was interrupted by a small sound from Danielle._

"_Umm, i's Dani wif an I," she said, earning an aww or two._

"_Right, now will someone fetch an extra chair from the back of the room and set it next to Daniel's desk for her to use?" Sam and Tucker, who sat on either side of Daniel, hopped up and got the chair they put it beside Danny's desk._

_Danny worked on his school work and Dani sat there and drew with crayons. A little while into the lesson someone sitting behind the two Fenton children became curious, looked at the pictures Dani had drawn and gasped loudly. The rest of the class looked at him wondering what had caused the outburst. He said_

"_Look at those pictures," his voice was a little shaky. The entire class looked at the pictures. The first was Dani crying next to what was clearly the Wisconsin Ghost! The next was of what was clearly Danny Fenton Standing in front of her in a protective stance. The next was Danny hitting the Wisconsin ghost with a strong uppercut. The next picture had Danny Getting him with a roundhouse kick. The next was a cloud of dust with fists sticking out, then Danny standing next to the Wisconsin Ghost who was lying on the ground with xs for eyes and his tongue sticking out. Next came a picture of Danny flying away with Dani in his arms. Then the next picture was Danny, Dani, Jazz, Jack, and Maddie Fenton all hugging and smiling. Then came a picture of Dani sleeping in a crib and there was a ghost underneath! The next picture Dani saw it and cried. The next picture was Danny sucking the ghost into the Fenton Thermos. The next picture had Danny sleeping on the floor of Dani's room, just in case there was another ghost. Then Came a picture of Jazz making breakfast, while Danny and Dani sat at the table, smiling. The last picture was Danny and Dani at school._

_The class gasped._

"_Don' worry. I know dey're scawwy but da ghosties can't huwt you wif my big bwuvow here," Dani spoke confidently. Everyone looked quizzically at Danny who shrugged._

"_If my little sis is attacked by ghosts, then I'll be a ghost hunter. For a while, anyway." Dani looked at him quizzically._

"_But, you fights ghostses all da time, no madder WHO it is their 'bout ta attack." Danny sent her a look that said shhh, then realization flickered in her eyes._

"_OH, I get it. Secwet idenity wight," Dani made a motion to zip her lips._

"_Heh, kids," said Danny._

"_You are a kid," Someone said._

"_If only I could afford to be," Danny said so quietly no-one else was meant to hear. "you know what I meant," he said more loudly. Then Sam came to his defense. _

"_Okay back to class, I know you're all interested in the aspiring artist's work but we do have a lesson to learn, here."_

_The rest of the lesson passed pretty much uneventfully._

_Lunch came and Dani sat next to Danny, who kept looking over to make sure she was okay every few minutes. He was acting a bit like a mother hen. The really strange thing was Sam Manson's behavior. The maternal instincts that appeared during the flour sack assignment, were back full blast and she was helping take care of Dani. Tucker was also trying to help out but there wasn't much for him to do, although he did entertain her by teaching her to play a game he had on his PDA, after Danny and Sam okayed it, of course._

_The next day had been the real shocker though. A large mechanical ghost floated down through the ceiling, and shouted "WHERE ARE THEY!" The ghost attack was not unusual the shocking thing was that Dani had immediately started mouthing off to it._

"_Hey hothead!" the tiny girl had screamed, "Din't ya leawn youwr lesson lass time? Or do me 'n Danny haff ta teach it to ya again?" The ghost flew right up to her and she didn't even flinch._

"_That big mouth of yours is going to get you in trouble ghost child," the ghost had snarled, but Danny had shifted so he was between his sister and the ghost then sent it sprawling with an uppercut. The change in position had allowed Dani to get something out of Danny's backpack. Danny stood up very quickly, still holding his sister and turned to face the ghost then Dani sucked the ghost into the Fenton thermos._

"_Awight, anover ghost taken cawe of by me 'n my bwuver." the two then sat back down and continued what they were doing as if nothing unusual had happened._

Thinking back Mr. Lancer mentally slapped himself (hard) for that not setting off a warning bell.

All the people of the town who knew Danny Fenton were wrapped up in their own silent meditations. Even Vlad was starting to feel a little guilty when he saw the repercussions of his actions in these children's lives. He had just seen Danielle as a tool, and now she would probably be severely emotionally scarred. She had called him Daddy and he'd tried to make her do something that would kill her. Vlad was starting to see some reason behind them calling him a seriously crazed up fruit loop.

"All right, enough moping, we've got plenty more dreams to see," called nocturne. The townspeople were starting to get frustrated with him, not that there was anything they could do.

"Here's another slideshow-type dream that actually came from both of them," Maddie and Jack braced themselves, they knew they were gonna see something they didn't like.

_I dreamed I was missing,_

The Phantoms were trapped in some place that looked suspiciously similar to a GIW laboratory.

_And you were so scared,_

Sam Manson and some little ghost boy(full ghost, just to be clear) that they didn't recognize were sobbing their eyes out and looking at a picture of Danny and Dani.

_But no one would listen,_

The little ghost boy was hiding from a ghost hunter, and Sam Manson's mom was trying to drag her on a shopping trip despite the sobs that left her completely immobile and the fact that Sam was much too strong for her to move by force.

'_Cause no one else cared,_

The Phantoms were standing with their hands up, ecto-guns pointed at them.

_And after my dreaming, I woke with this fear,_

Both halfas shot bolt up right, in bed breathing hard. Dani screamed for her big brother, who rushed immediately to her room to protect her.

_What am I leaving, when I'm done here?_

The two halfas were floating above Fenton works in ghost form.

_So if you're asking me I want you to know…_

Danny was holding Dani in his arms, then they both looked up towards someone not seen.

_When my time comes,_

These images were of Danielle coming so close to melting, and Danny in the middle of an attempt to fight off a really tough ghost, getting knocked down, clearly injured, and taking a little too long to get back up.

_Forget the wrong that I've done,_

Danny Phantom was obviously being controlled. With the red spirals in his eyes it couldn't be much more clear, and they'd still missed it the first time around. He was being forced to steal. And Danielle steeling an apple before Danny had found her and brought her home.

_Help me leave behind some reasons to be missed,_

Danny and Dani protecting the town. Was that why they did it? Based on what they had learned from Jazz, some of the ghosts would have gone after them anyway. Did they fight for the town's safety because they were hoping that when they were gone they might be missed? This made the town feel even scummier about the way they had been treating the kids. They wanted to be remembered when they were gone, which for all they knew could be years from now when their grown up and old or tomorrow, and they were certainly finding a positive means of trying for this, yet it was getting turned against them. That couldn't be the only reason they fought or they would have already given up. No, these kids, young as they were, honestly understood what would happen to the town if it wasn't protected and cared.

_Please don't resent me,_

The entire town was surrounding the two, who were backing up and Danny was shifting Danielle so she was behind him. The faces of the town looked odd, strangely demonized. They were covered by black shadows with glowing red eyes and pointed teeth in crooked mouths, twisted into evil expressions of rage and sinister glee at the soon coming demise. Except for Sam, Tucker, Jazz, and the little ghost boy, who all looked worried. Was this what the town looked like to the ghost kids? Was this really how they saw them? And they still protected them anyway?

_And when you're feeling empty,_

An image of the little ghost boy crying, and then one of Sam Manson crying.

_Keep me in your memory,_

A picture of the two halfas in ghost form with a black sash across the frame. This is a fear that is always on the periphery for them.

_Leave out all the rest,_

The two were surrounded by other ghosts.

_Leave out all the rest,_

Once more they found themselves surrounded.

_Don't be afraid,_

A news broadcast about how horrible and scare the ghost kids were.

_I've taken my beating,_

Danny looked to be in really bad shape, Dani had looked better too it seemed that after her big brother went down she had worked to protect him form the remainder of the ghosts, the flash back that came next proved this to be correct.

_I've shared what I made,_

A horrible nightmare version of the future with a strange demonic version of Danny, Then the current Danny was fighting him and losing pretty badly, he didn't look like future danny had held back much more against him than against the future town. Sam recognized the scene and spoke, "It isn't gonna happen anymore, I'll explain later." She choked back the tears that were threatening.

_I'm strong on the surface,_

Danny and Dani with the familiar cocky I-am-going-to-win-and-you're-not Expression on their faces, looking like they were ready to handle anything.

_Not all the way through,_

The two were curled up in a corner crying.

_I've never been perfect,_

Danny was standing in human form in front of his furious parents, who were holding a report card with Cs on it, probably because the life-saving pulled him out of class a lot and cut into homework time

_But neither have you,_

Jazz had one arm around a Danny who looked for all the world like he'd just had more than he can take for a little too long, The other arm holding a Dani who looked about ready to cry from too much stress, and an understanding expression on her face.

_So if you're asking me I want you to know,_

_When my time comes,_

_Forget the wrong that I've done,_

_Help me leave behind some reasons to be missed,_

The dream went dark before the song was even finished.

Everyone was quiet in confusion for a moment before someone worked up the nerve to ask "What happened?"

Nocturne sighed in frustration and then said "That happens a lot. This double life of his cuts into his sleep enough that several dreams are just cut off in the middle. It's so frustrating when that happens." Nocturne looked cross.

"Well enough bad dreams. Now for a change of pace lets check out some good dreams," Nocturne's mood visibly improved, "this next one here is really excellent."

Haha I left you with a cliff hanger! Give me some reviews and I'll get the next chapter up quick! By the way I've got a poll going on which story should be the next one I start when I'm finished with my works in progress. The basic idea for each story is listed on me profile so vote and review. Seriously people review the review button is **not **going to _bite _you! It's a button that makes the author happy and want to write more if you use it wisely. Come on people I _know _you're there I checked the traffic.


	5. dreamscape

_Thank you for reviewing so quickly! Four reviews reviews in two days! That makes me happy and want to write more._

_Disclaimer: Danny Phantom does not belong to me, that is why this is on a fan fiction website._

_Last time: "This next one here is really excellent."_

A new dream formed around the crowd. For a moment they thought they had been released because this place looked just like Amity. Then they realized that all the buildings were in perfect condition. Then they realized that there were at least three buildings under repairs when they left. Then they saw themselves walking around, and going about their daily business.

Then the crowd began walking around seeing this strange place that looked like home. Then they realized something, this place was fairly idealized. When they looked around, although it wasn't perfect, things were better. The air was cleaner, so was the ocean, nothing was destroyed, and everything seemed fairly calm.

They reached Fenton works and saw Danny Fenton, without any scars on his arms despite their looking very carefully, leaving for school looking calm and happy, like the weight of the world had been lifted of his shoulders. Danielle was sitting happily in the kitchen as he left. She wasn't insisting to go with him because she knew she was safe. Maddie Fenton was on the phone arranging a play date for Danielle.

As Danny walked by Sam's house he stopped and waited for a moment until she came outside. As Sam walked out the door, she was smiling! Then her mother came to the door after her. She was dressed like an actual person instead of like Belle Of The Ball Barbie. She was smiling too without a trace of malice.

"Have a nice day at school, Sam" She said, "and don't forget your lunch." She handed Sam a black lunch box without cringing away from the color or trying to convince her to take a pink one instead. Sam looked genuinely happy. Her mother called her what she preferred to be called, respected her preferences in style, and clearly in this dream honestly loved her. Tucker didn't walk to school with them. The crowd found out later that Tucker walked to school with Valerie. It was when Sam and Danny got to school that everyone noticed the class ring on her finger. Group awwwwwwe.

There was only one ghost attack that day, and according to a remark by someone in class it was the only one all week. Danny was able to stop this ghost quickly with little or no damage because no one else was trying to shoot him down.

Back in school no one beat him up or insulted him, his grades were good, and he had finished homework to turn in.

The major difference between this world, the world that Danny would consider perfect, and the real one was that it's population wasn't turned against him. He had a few enemies here yes, but in the real world nearly every human had been prejudiced against him for being a ghost, and nearly every ghost had a vendetta against him for defending said humans. In what he considered a perfect world people were more excepting and they gave him a chance. Danielle felt safe here because it wasn't just the ghosts that she was afraid of. She could trust the people around her. Maddie and Jack Fenton both made a mental note to make it absolutely clear that they loved Danny and Dani more than anything in the world and nothing would ever change that.

Then Danny Phantom and not the dream Danny, appeared looking very ticked off.

"GET OUT OF MY HEAD!!!!!!!!" he shouted, the last word turning into a powerful ghostly wail directed at Nocturne. Instantly, the dream world and the blackness behind it were ripped to shreds, a different scene playing on each shredded piece that floated away, a hand held out in friend-ship or a happy Fenton family or a ghostly battle. The crowd was flung into a white void and Danny flew off towards what appeared to be his younger sister, floating in the whiteness. The crowd felt the strange sensation of falling as they tumbled through the white void towards a nonexistent ground, then they felt an impact. The crowd woke up on the ground where they had been standing, and looked up to see Danny Phantom coming to, lying on a platform on one of those metal staircases that are attached to the outsides of buildings. He turned to face the crowd, panic and fear filled his ectoplasm green eyes.

---

Danny Phantom slept absorbed by dreams, when the dreams were pleasant he just wanted to lie there and dream, but there was always something tickling away in the back of is mind. There were a couple of bad dreams but then they reached his favorite dream, the one he never wanted to wake up from. He just wanted to lie there and dream this dream forever. But that would be when the tickle in the back of his mind decided to make it's self known. The thought made it's way slowly but steadily to the front and center of his sleep-slowed mind. He remembered being captured by Nocturne he had to wake up, had to stop dreaming. Although it was tempting to just lay there and dream, dreams made Nocturne stronger and he couldn't let him win, he had to wake up. He broke through the dreams and found Nocturne.

Danny forced Nocturne out of his mind and then laid there asleep for a moment longer before finding the strength to awaken. He woke up and felt Danielle stirring in his arms. Then he saw the mob that had almost been ready to attack looking up at him. When he saw the expression on his parents faces, pleading for forgiveness, he knew what the town had seen. And he was afraid, very afraid.

Thank you for the reviews :)


	6. family time

Disclaimer: not mine

_Oh no, _Danny thought, _They saw the nightmares. They know my secret. They know who Dani and I are. This is horrible, because you know how people are going to react. I can see it now, the running, the screaming, the ghost hunters trying to kill us 24/7 because now they know we're alive enough to be capable of dying, Tucker and Sam not being aloud to hang out with us anymore, being forced to relocate to the ghost zone, being-_ That's as far as this pessimistic train f thought got before he was being squashed in a giant group hug that consisted of his family, Sam, Tucker, and most of the town. This is the part where Sam's parents would usually throw a monkey wrench into the Kodak moment, but they were busy getting taken into police custody for questioning and an investigation regarding their parenting methods. Finally!

"Danny, Dani, we are so sorry. There is nothing in the world more important to us than you two and Jazz. You can come to us with anything, please don't be afraid of us anymore, you are the most important things in our world. Much more than dumb old ghost hunting!" Maddie and Jack were tripping all over themselves trying to get the words out.

"Daddy," said Danielle her mouth hanging open in surprise, "You jus calleded ghost huntin' dumb."

"If it makes you have trouble trusting us then it is dumb, and I don't want any part of it!"

"Dad, do you really mean that," Asked Danny, awed.

"Of course, sweetie, we both do," Said Maddie.

"You don't have to do that, just please don't shoot at us anymore and we'll be fine," Danny said. He regretted mentioning the shooting when he saw his parents faces crumble at the reminder.

"Hey, pleez don' be sad, Mommy an Daddy," said Danielle, "we're okay. See?"

The family hugged tighter (the rest of the crowd had already stopped participating in the hug and wandered off sensing that the conversation was going to be a personal family thing) then broke apart. "let's go home, I could use a nap," said Danny. That earned a few laughs. Then Jazz thought for a moment about the dreams everyone had seen and wondered if Danny was eager to return to that perfect dream world that they'd been aloud one glimpse of. As unacceptable as it may have seemed for her to think it she couldn't help but wish she'd gotten to see a little more of that dream world because back at the house she'd noticed a picture of her with a letter from her sitting next to it that said something about early attendance to a really prestigious college.

"Hey Jazz, you saw the college thing didn't you?" Danny asked. Jazz blushed.

"I suppose that means you also saw the part of the dream with Sam?" now Danny was blushing.

"Everyone saw that didn't they?"

"Uh huh."

"Well," Danny was blushing much harder now, "that's gonna be awkward." The rest of the family shared a laugh at his expense. When they got home everyone went to bed despite the fact that it was a bit early for bed time. Danny slipped back into pleasant dreams. Blissfully unaware of the Box-Ghost hiding under his bed that he would be woken up by and have to deal with.

REALLY IMPORTANT A/N: lol I had to use the Box Ghost somehow, he's funny. Poor Danny, he's gonna have to deal with that first thing in the morning. NOW THE IMPORTANT PART So do you want me to continue on and do some interactions with Sam and them finally getting together and then Nocturne's revenge for Danny interrupting his dream tour or do you want this to be the ending. Tell me in a review, okay!


	7. BAD TIMING, Nocturne

Disclaimer: not mine

"FEAR ME!!!"

"GYAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!" Danny screeched upon his rude awakening by the box ghost. Annoyed, Danny scowled at the box ghost before grabbing the Fenton thermos and catching him.

"What a _great _way to start the morning," Danny said sarcastically. That would be right about when the memories of yesterday's events hit him full force.

"OH MY GOSH, EVERYONE KNOWS I'M DANNY PHANTOM!!! Well, today's gonna be fun." again with the sarcasm.

-later as Danny arrives at school-

"Hmm, that's weird, could have sworn I just a dramatic announcer voice. Oh well, must have imagined it," Danny said.

-oops he heard me-

"There it was again!"

-shush you're not supposed to be able to hear me!-

"That was weird."

"Compared to what," said Tucker walking up to Danny, "and what was weird?"

"Umm,"

-just pretend you didn't hear me so we can get on with the story-

"Nothing, where's Sam?" Then Sam walked around the corner. Sam looked up, saw Danny and blushed as soon as they made eye contact. Then Danny blushed which made Sam blush even more which made Danny blush more until Tucker broke the cycle by saying "I'll leave you two lovebirds alone," and walking away. Of course, that made them both blush even harder.

"So umm…" Danny was trying to think of what to say but was feeling to awkward.

"That dream, umm… d-do you really um feel that way?" Sam was blushing so hard she seriously could have burst a capillary.

"Y-y-y-y-y-YES. I love you Sam. Would you be-" Danny(who was blushing even harder than Sam) was cut off mid sentence by the beginning of a super villain rant.

"FOOLISH HALFA, YOU REALLY THOUGHT YOU COULD SO EASILY DEFEAT ME?! WELL IT IS NO SMALL TASK TO BANISH NOCTURNE FROM THE DREAM REALM! I WILL CONTINUE MY DREAM TOUR, WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT! PERHAPS YOU WOULD ENJOY RELIVING YOUR WORST NIGHTMARES, HAVING YOUR MOST HORRIFYING FEARS REVEALED FOR ALL TOO SEE! WAHAHAHAHAHA WAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAA!" Nocturne was back.

"Oh cheese logs," Danny was, to say the least, not happy about it. Then Danny felt the fog closing in and collapsed to the ground. The last thing he saw was Sam sinking to her knees, then all the way to the ground with him he tried to reach out, to grab her hand so he could keep her safe but the fog was smothering him and his arm fell limply to the ground in front of him. Danny tried futilely to shove back against the fog as it blurred his vision and through clouded eyes he tried to keep a visual on the girl he had just confessed his love for. It looked like Sam was trying to reach out to him to but her strength failed her too. Her arm collapsed to the ground, her hand a mere half inch away from his. She tried to speak before the fog overpowered them both.

"Danny I l…" Darkness.

For once the Goth girl known as Sam Manson would have given almost anything for the absence of darkness.

Review if you want more. Remember the review button is your friend, and my friend, my friend who reminds to update quickly.


	8. the beginning of the tunnel

Disclaimer: not mine (insert sign with flashing lights around the word "fan fiction" here)

The town once again felt themselves being pulled into the world of sleep by Nocturne. Thankfully, no one was driving or operating heavy machinery. This time, though, Danny and Dani were with them.

Both halfas were in ghost form, but their powers were unavailable to them. They were both chained up. Danielle was scared and crying and Danny looked like he was going to die from hearing her cry and not being able to even so much as pick her up. Mercifully, Sam was there and she was someone Danielle trusted almost as much as Danny, so Sam was able to pick her up and comfort her.

Sam sat next to Danny and wrapped an arm around him wishing she could do more to help. Danny was chained in a kneeling position and couldn't even stand. Couldn't even move. Heck, he could barely even breathe Normally under such conditions, Sam would just pick the lock holding the chains together, but she couldn't even see a beginning or ending to these chains let alone a lock she could release.

The rest of the people in the town slowly faded into view, as though they were being constructed out of smoke. Then Nocturne appeared in a more dramatic fashion, a puff of smoke which turned into a thunder cloud as it dissipated accentuated by the sound of loud maniacal laughter.

"WAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!! FOOLISH HALFA! DID YOU REALLY THINK THAT I, NOCTURNE, COULD BE SO EASILY BANISHED FROM THE REALM OF DREAMS?!!!!!!!!!!!" Danny looked away. He wasn't ready to admit defeat, but there was no way he could fight back at the moment, and he wasn't about to make one of his usual wisecracks when Nocturne could easily hurt his sister or Sam while he watched helplessly, unable to do anything.

Danny's parents and older sister rushed to his side as soon as they arrived in the strange realm Nocturne had dragged them into. Sam still held Danielle and kept a protective arm around Danny as their family piled around them in a tight, protective embrace.

Unfortunately, all the protective family intentions in the world couldn't protect him from the horrible nightmares that Nocturne was about to drag to the surface.

A/N: I know, I'm evil for making you wait for another cliff hanger, but that's what happens when you only give me two reviews :( come on people the review button won't hurt you, please review, go back and put a review on a chapter that was already posted when you found this story if you have to, I'm working on the next chapter but I want at least 3 new reviews before it's posted the more the better please I'm coming down with desperate writer syndrome here! Please, oh please review!!!!!! *puppy dog eyes* by the way there's a poll on my profile about which story I should start next after I finish this one, so vote before I decide without you and you have to wait for the one you wanted.


	9. in the dark

The dream began with a feeling of unease. The people weren't just passive observers in this dream, they were experiencing it from Danny's point of view.

"The feeling grew to dread and then horror as Danny took in the crumbled buildings and the cracked streets and then, finally, the destroyed Nasty Burger. Because the townspeople were experiencing the dream from Danny's point of view, they knew what this meant, his friends and loved ones were gone, dead, but he had promised he wouldn't let this happen. It also meant Dark Dan was here somewhere. Danny tensed ready to fight him off at all costs, to stop this future from happening. He wouldn't let it happen, he promised. Then Danny floated past a broken shop window, and there was just enough of the reflective surface left to see Dark Dan.

With an agonizing jolt Danny realized he wasn't standing in that horrible future before a fight with Dark Dan he was locked away inside his head with no control of anything, no chance to help, no hope. He couldn't save them couldn't save anyone. Amity was gone. Everyone was dead. It was all his fault. A ghostly wail destroyed what was left of a building that was the closest to standing out of anything around to a standing structure. He had killed everything and his thirst for destruction was still not satisfied. Danny knew it would be the ghost zone's inhabitants next, and then both of the worlds themselves. And he knew there was nothing e could do about it.

________________________________________________________

Outside of the dream

Danny screamed.

"NOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I WON'T LET THAT HAPPEN!!! I won't! I can't. It can't happen. Can't be gone. Can't all be gone." Danny's voice started out incredibly loud then became quieter, eventually turning into silent sobs.

"It's okay Danny," Sam said tightening her grip on him and pulling him closer as he cried, "I'm still here, we're all okay. Nobody's gone. Nobody's hurt. Dark Dan doesn't exist and your not going to turn into that. You made your choice. You didn't cheat on the test and we weren't in a parent teacher conference at the Nasty Burger when I exploded. We're not dead. We're all okay." Danny's tears slowed and stopped as Sam's calm words soothed him. He sat up straight, with a steely look in his eye, silently vowing to show no more weakness at the rest of the nightmares Nocturne would show.

What he didn't understand just yet, though, was that being afraid and sad and having these emotions wasn't weakness. True strength comes from being able to show them and deal with them in a healthy way. The way Danny's mind was trying to cope was through denial, which is not healthy at all. He would learn soon enough, though, that real heroes do cry. True weakness is not being able to.

A/N: whoa, I didn't know I could be that deep :-0 so, the faster you review the faster I update good job on already having four reviews posted thanks. I have a poll on my profile about which story I should start next when I finish this one descriptions of the stories listed at the top of my profile. Vote, Vote, Vote, Vote, VOTE!!!!!!!!!! I would like at least one vote people. I could always decide by myself, but want to know what you want to read


	10. the darkness continues

Disclaimer: do I even need to say it?

Nocturne laughed maniacly. As another of Danny's worst nightmares flooded everyone's conciousness.

Danny was administering the failed ecto dejecto that actually strengthened and healed ghosts to Danielle. It looked like it was to late she melted away as he was administering it. He waited with a feeling of dread. He collapsed with a feeling of failure. Danielle didn't reform from the ooze she had melted into. She was gone. Completely and totally gone. And there was nothing he could do to save her. He collapsed and didn't feel like evere getting up again. Ever. He just lay there and let the pain of his failure to protect this tiny, perfect, angelic, little girl that he loved so much wash over him in wave after merciless wave.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Outside of the dream

Danny sat there, shaking. He was trying so hard not to cry, not to let the dream get to him. A few tears broke through the barrier, so he tightened the protective wall around himself. If he tightened it much more, it would strangle him. Tucker had come to sit by them too. He couldn't bare to see his friend like this. They were close, practically brothers. He spoke up then, said something Danny had been needing to hear for a long time.

"Danny. Just let it out, man." Sam spoke too.

"He's right, Danny. You've been keeping this bottled up for too long, and that's coming from a goth." Jazz spoke next.

"They're right Danny. It's not healthy to keep these things bottled up. Feeling scared or sad in a situation like this doesn't make you any less of a hero, it makes you a real person." Then Valery walked out of the crowd. She had been needing to appologise for what she had done. She had needed someone to be mad at and he had happened to be there at the time. It wasn't fair of her.

"Danny, you are a hero. I'm sorry for not seeing that before. You _are_ a hero, but you need to let it all out or you can't be a hero. I'm sorry for hurting you, and I'm sorry for everything. You didn't do anything wrong, you've been living for everyone else. Now, I think it's time did something for yourself, and just let it out, don't worry about looking strong, no one here will think any less of you." After Valery finished, Danny collapsed (as much as he could with the chains) in Sam's arms and started crying. It may have been this final piece of advice was what he needed or the timing may have been a coincidence. Regaurdless, Danny was finally crying like he had been needing to for a very long time. Danny cried like a rainstorm, he cried long and hard, he let out all those tears that he had been keeping in for so long. All that pain and hut that had been piling up behind one of his many carefully constructed walls flowed flowed foreward and away. The tears just kept coming for what seemed like hours, with no sign of stopping until, eventually they slowed and gradually let up. Danny leaned weakly against Sam's side, all his energy exhausted from the crying.

He felt weak from using p so much energy crying, but he also felt a peculiar sense of release. Then after floating inside his tired mind for a little while, he slowly became aware of his surroundings again. He felt Sam's arms around him and something else, something about the size of a toddler. Then he realized what, or rather who, it was when he looked down at Danielle, who was curled up against his side, staring up at him with wide, worried eyes.

"It's okay DanI, I'm fine now." He said smiling weakly down at the tiny ghost girl. Danielle considered this for a moment, then decided he was probably okay and smiled warmly back up at him, although her smile still held a trace of worry. The snuggled up a little closer to her big brother(although it was kind of difficult with both of them being chained up) and waited to see what was coming for them next. Whatever it was she knew they could face it together.

Her nightmares would be displayed for all to see next.

A/N: Oh poor Dani! I'm evil sometimes, I admit it. Anyway five reviews and you get the next chapter okay? Go back and review a chapter that you read but didn't review if you have to. By the way, the poll is really there now and if I mess up like that again, tell me okay? The summaries of the stories are on my profile, and If nobody votes soon I think I'll just go with the Ruby Gloom/Twilight crossover


	11. the light at the end of the tunnel

Disclaimer: not mine and never will be :'(

Danielle's nightmare came next. Everyone experienced it from her point of view just as they had experienced Danny's nightmares from his.

________________________________ dream begins

Danny is inside an intimidating looking machine. It's trying to force him to transform. Danielle knows that Daddy (because they were experiencing this from her point of view, the crowd knows that at the point in time when this takes place Danielle still called Vlad "Daddy") said this was so he could stabilize her so she wouldn't melt, but she was starting to wonder if maybe this wasn't right. Danielle turned around and saw Vlad Masters transform into the Wisconsin Ghost! This was of course not a surprise to her because she already knew. Vlad asked her to please overshadow Danny for him and make him transform. Suddenly, Danielle panicked, remembering what had happened to the last clone that tried that. But, Daddy wouldn't ask her to do something that would kill her, right?

"but,-" She was cut off mid-sentence. Vlad's facial features didn't change at all but he suddenly went from looking like a caring father to looking like a scary monster.

"YOU EXSIST TO SERVE ME, JUST DO IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!" scared, shocked, and hurt tears formed in Danielle's eyes but she blinked them away, scowled and shouted "YOU! ARE NOT! THE BOSS OF **ME**!!!" as she slammed down the release button on the machine that held Danny. He fought bravely, protecting her from the monster she had, just moments ago, called Daddy.

________________outside of the dream

Everyone was glaring at Vlad Masters, who was looking ashamedly down at the floor. Boy was he gonna be in big trouble when they got outa there. Of more immediate importance though was the evil smirk that Nocturne was aiming at the two ghost children. Danielle cried a little bit, but then she did something totally unexpected. Danielle wiped the tears from her eyes, looked Nocturne square in the eyes and shouted "You lose!"

"What?!" Nocturne snarled glaring at the tiny girl, furious at her for not being scared of him.

"You kin scawe us awll you want but i's jus a bad dweam! I's not real you'we bawely eben real! You wive in a dweam world eben more den I thought if ya think you's gonna beat us. The dweams awen't real, these chains awen't real," the chains disappeared from around he as she said this, "AND YOUR VICTOWY SUWRE AIN'T REAL!"

Little Danielle then proceeded to kick the *bleep* out of Nocturne until the dreams shattered around the people of Amity and they once again felt themselves falling back into reality.

______________________________back in the real world.

Danielle fired the final shot and sucked Nocturne into a FentonThermous. Her older brother stood and stared at her. He was flabbergasted, absolutely gob-smacked(A/N: I love using funny words like those lol).

"What?" Danielle asked her stunned-into-silence older brother.

"You know, Danielle, sometimes I forget just how smart a little girl you are." Danielle beamed at the compliment from her big brother. "Now, come on. We should get home or to wherever the people who are worrying about us are, and I need t get an answer from Sam on something I asked her about this morning."

Danielle smiled. "Finally said 'I love you,' huh?" she asked knowingly.

"Maybe," Danny answered, blushing.

Danielle smiled, but didn't make any wisecracks like tucker would have. Then Danielle yawned sleepily, and Danny gathered her up in his arms and flew home.

When they got back to Fenton Works, Danny tucked Dani into bed and then flew all the way back to school, where Sam was waiting.

"By the way, I love you too," she said, her amethyst eyes twinkling.

Danny handed her the class ring with her name engraved on it, and she put it on without a word. Danny offered her his hand and they strolled to class together.

A/N: Ah, I love a happy ending. Now, I'm not so evil am I. Little Dani is so strong for such a little kid. Please review, and now that this story is over look at my profile and vote on which one you want me to write next.


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